This whole week has been very surreal. It's one of those times that you'll always remember what you were doing when you heard the news. On 9-11 I was in Genetics class with Dr. Morvillo I had just come from my 8 o'clock class and I hadn't seen any of the news. April 16th 2007 will also be one of those days. Monday morning I was in the OR watching Dr. Harris, Dr. Deal and Sarah do a colon resection on a very nice lady who is mostly going to die from stage 4 colon cancer. Dr. Perona came into the OR and announced there had been a shooting at Tech. At first it was a shooting in a dorm building. She came back in a second time to tell us there was another shooting on campus.
After my OR time and came back and watched the news for a few minutes before I needed to sleep in preparation for my ER shift. I watched and the number kept increasing. At least 20 dead, then 22, it just kept rising. I would have watched all afternoon if I hadn't had to go into the ER that night. My phone wouldn't stop ringing. All my friend from Florida who don't really understand what rotations are and don't fully understand that the medical school really isn't at Tech called. I got messages... Allison your school's on TV, please call me back and let me know you are ok. Message after message. I answered I am safe. I am not sure if we will be OK from this or not. I hope some day we are, but I won't guarantee that.
We watched the news all night in the ER (remind you this is now 2 am or so). The story kept changing the shooter was still unidentified and was not a student, then about 5 am he was a student. He was a student that lived in West AJ... just kidding, he didn't live there either. It seemed like every five minutes there was a different story. We continued to watch. They interviewed the doctors that worked in the ER at MRH. Dr. Joe was on CNN. Now this is not the local Roanoke news, this is CNN and this is Dr. Joe. The same Dr. Joe who's house I've been to, who's kids I've hung out with and the same man I've been to Africa and back with twice. This is the man that interviewed me during my medical school interviews. And now here he was talking to CNN about this tragedy. By the time I got off work and home it was almost 9 am. Just about the time for the mornings press conference. They announced the identity of the shooter. I spent the rest of the day napping on the couch and watching the news. I watched the convocation. I got upset at the camera men who focused on the father who was overcome with grief in the middle of the service and had to leave. Showing it is one thing, focusing on it for entirely too long is just wrong. The man lost his child, something that I can only imagine is the worst feeling in the world. The family deserves respect. Dr. Giovanni's poem was just amazing. I don't think words can properly describe how inspirational she was.
When Gerri got home from work we decided to head up to Blacksburg and meet up with some of the other medical students so we could attend the candlelight vigil.
I am a Hokie. Although the main campus really isn't something we are very familiar with. It is a part of our school. It's like our big sister, close to us when we need it but also a little unknown and mysterious. It was really great to see the community come together like that. The hokie spirit is definitely alive. It might be bruised and hurting for the time, but it's not dead. We stood there with our candles surrounded by Hokies. We were all there because we love Virginia Tech, to remember those that were lost, and to support those that will deal with the aftermath.
I am sorry that this is what Virginia Tech will go down in history for. Even if some great discovery were to come from the Engineering department, Math department or medical school they will always bring up April 16th 2007. I just hope we do not let this event define who we are. We will endure and hopefully overcome it. We are Hokies.
I pray for the families affected. I pray for the students who are recovering. I pray for the friends that are mourning. I pray for the EMS, Police and Firefighters that came to the rescue. I pray for the Virginia Tech community that not only is in Blacksburg but extends across the state and throughout the country.
No matter your Alma mater or school loyalty today we are all hokies. We are the Hokies...we will prevail. We ARE Virginia Tech.
After my OR time and came back and watched the news for a few minutes before I needed to sleep in preparation for my ER shift. I watched and the number kept increasing. At least 20 dead, then 22, it just kept rising. I would have watched all afternoon if I hadn't had to go into the ER that night. My phone wouldn't stop ringing. All my friend from Florida who don't really understand what rotations are and don't fully understand that the medical school really isn't at Tech called. I got messages... Allison your school's on TV, please call me back and let me know you are ok. Message after message. I answered I am safe. I am not sure if we will be OK from this or not. I hope some day we are, but I won't guarantee that.
We watched the news all night in the ER (remind you this is now 2 am or so). The story kept changing the shooter was still unidentified and was not a student, then about 5 am he was a student. He was a student that lived in West AJ... just kidding, he didn't live there either. It seemed like every five minutes there was a different story. We continued to watch. They interviewed the doctors that worked in the ER at MRH. Dr. Joe was on CNN. Now this is not the local Roanoke news, this is CNN and this is Dr. Joe. The same Dr. Joe who's house I've been to, who's kids I've hung out with and the same man I've been to Africa and back with twice. This is the man that interviewed me during my medical school interviews. And now here he was talking to CNN about this tragedy. By the time I got off work and home it was almost 9 am. Just about the time for the mornings press conference. They announced the identity of the shooter. I spent the rest of the day napping on the couch and watching the news. I watched the convocation. I got upset at the camera men who focused on the father who was overcome with grief in the middle of the service and had to leave. Showing it is one thing, focusing on it for entirely too long is just wrong. The man lost his child, something that I can only imagine is the worst feeling in the world. The family deserves respect. Dr. Giovanni's poem was just amazing. I don't think words can properly describe how inspirational she was.
When Gerri got home from work we decided to head up to Blacksburg and meet up with some of the other medical students so we could attend the candlelight vigil.
I am a Hokie. Although the main campus really isn't something we are very familiar with. It is a part of our school. It's like our big sister, close to us when we need it but also a little unknown and mysterious. It was really great to see the community come together like that. The hokie spirit is definitely alive. It might be bruised and hurting for the time, but it's not dead. We stood there with our candles surrounded by Hokies. We were all there because we love Virginia Tech, to remember those that were lost, and to support those that will deal with the aftermath.
I am sorry that this is what Virginia Tech will go down in history for. Even if some great discovery were to come from the Engineering department, Math department or medical school they will always bring up April 16th 2007. I just hope we do not let this event define who we are. We will endure and hopefully overcome it. We are Hokies.
I pray for the families affected. I pray for the students who are recovering. I pray for the friends that are mourning. I pray for the EMS, Police and Firefighters that came to the rescue. I pray for the Virginia Tech community that not only is in Blacksburg but extends across the state and throughout the country.
No matter your Alma mater or school loyalty today we are all hokies. We are the Hokies...we will prevail. We ARE Virginia Tech.
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3 comments:
Nice moving entry...yuk... this whole thing has me perpetually nauseous and always on the verge of tears...
So you were in the ER? Was anyone brought in to where you were?
Beautiful, Allison. Thanks for putting into words what I feel, but am too numb to think or write. I wish I could stop crying, but I don't want to stop crying or feeling numb. I don't want to go back to "normal" right now because I don't want the victim's families to think that we will forget them. Not now, not ever.
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